Post job

Engineering supervisor vs senior engineering manager

The differences between engineering supervisors and senior engineering managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both an engineering supervisor and a senior engineering manager. Additionally, a senior engineering manager has an average salary of $155,753, which is higher than the $97,535 average annual salary of an engineering supervisor.

The top three skills for an engineering supervisor include HVAC, plumbing and project management. The most important skills for a senior engineering manager are java, architecture, and cloud.

Engineering supervisor vs senior engineering manager overview

Engineering SupervisorSenior Engineering Manager
Yearly salary$97,535$155,753
Hourly rate$46.89$74.88
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs57,04670,918
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4848
Years of experience--

What does an engineering supervisor do?

An engineering supervisor is responsible for monitoring the engineering operations of an organization, developing strategic processes and techniques to improve staff's performance, and facilitating training and programs to maximize productivity. Engineering supervisors evaluate technology procedures and reports to identify and design new opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues and profits. They also meet with clients and handle their business requirements and specifications, informing them of other services that the company offers. An engineering supervisor resolves project complaints and implements business plans to achieve high-quality deliverables.

What does a senior engineering manager do?

Senior engineering managers are the leaders who oversee and supervise a team of engineers. These executives are the ones who develop, modify, create, and test solutions to technical-related problems. They direct and coordinate the production, quality assurance, maintenance, operations, or testing in industrial plants. It is part of their job to handle the research and development of new procedures and products. They are also involved in improving the advance scientific research and manufacturing processes of the company.

Engineering supervisor vs senior engineering manager salary

Engineering supervisors and senior engineering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Engineering SupervisorSenior Engineering Manager
Average salary$97,535$155,753
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $130,000Between $110,000 And $218,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaAlaska
Best paying companyAppleAirbnb
Best paying industryAutomotiveTelecommunication

Differences between engineering supervisor and senior engineering manager education

There are a few differences between an engineering supervisor and a senior engineering manager in terms of educational background:

Engineering SupervisorSenior Engineering Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Engineering supervisor vs senior engineering manager demographics

Here are the differences between engineering supervisors' and senior engineering managers' demographics:

Engineering SupervisorSenior Engineering Manager
Average age4848
Gender ratioMale, 92.8% Female, 7.2%Male, 89.9% Female, 10.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 11.8% White, 71.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 17.6% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between engineering supervisor and senior engineering manager duties and responsibilities

Engineering supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead Kaizen initiatives to continue improving fulfillment operations.
  • Implement and maintain ISO certification; become first industrial boiler manufacturer to achieve certification.
  • Achieve exceptional productivity and quality performance by deploying data analytics and localizing operational KPI metrics.
  • Manage QA for research orient development efforts and for high visibility, production focuse development efforts tie to revenue generation.
  • Ensure adherence to UL, NEC, CE and OSHA regulations and guidelines, in addition to company's design policies.
  • Authorize to troubleshoot equipment, debug controllers, and oversee robotic programming.
  • Show more

Senior engineering manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead PCB design activities for achieving signal integrity and EMC/EMI compliances.
  • Manage and lead technical NPI cross-functional team, focal contact and liaison for manufacturing supply chain.
  • Direct and manage all FEA & CFD activities including hardware and software system activities.
  • Promote lead engineer to manage new internal SDLC, cutting bug-fix time from weeks to days.
  • Manage all aspects of geotechnical engineering projects from proposal preparation to review of invoices and collection of fees.
  • Develop quotes and proposals, track budgets and headcount needs, and manage outsourcing of high-volume PCB or tester builds.
  • Show more

Engineering supervisor vs senior engineering manager skills

Common engineering supervisor skills
  • HVAC, 9%
  • Plumbing, 8%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Preventive Maintenance, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Continuous Improvement, 5%
Common senior engineering manager skills
  • Java, 11%
  • Architecture, 8%
  • Cloud, 7%
  • Infrastructure, 7%
  • Software Development, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%

Browse executive management jobs